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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27892783">Close Quarters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dechagny/pseuds/dechagny'>dechagny</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>but no ghost looms; [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghosts (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot Collection, Only One Bed, Short &amp; Sweet, Short One Shot, there's only one bed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:41:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>838</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27892783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dechagny/pseuds/dechagny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff"><p>Hi there! This drabble was written as a request on Tumblr. You can find me and this work under user @annaobyrne.<br/>If you want to request an AU drabble/one-shot, please leave me a message and I'll get back to you, though it may take a few days.</p>
<p>You can also find me on Twitter: @bethany1marie.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy!</p></div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Captain/Lieutenant Havers (Ghosts TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>but no ghost looms; [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Close Quarters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They walked along the corridor of Button House with their duffel bags slung over their shoulders. The uniform was still as stiff and scratchy as ever, and the friction between the cloth was surely only moments away from sparking into flame.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry that you have to bunk with me, Lieutenant," The Captain said, flashing a faltering smile. He ground his jaw as he swallowed the anxiety pooling in his throat. "Unfortunately, my room is the only place with space left."</p>
<p>Havers smiled a shade more confidently than his superior. "It's quite alright, Sir. I realise this isn't the ideal situation for any of us."</p>
<p>"The leak is undoubtedly unfortunate. I'd wager this house needs far more repairs than it seems."</p>
<p>"It's what I get for choosing a room below a bathroom," Havers said shrewdly. "I appreciate you letting me share with you."</p>
<p>The Captain stopped outside his bedroom door with his hand resting lightly on the doorknob. "I couldn't very well have you sleeping in the corridor, could I? Of course," he said, furrowing his brows and licking his bottom lip, "there is just one problem."</p>
<p>Havers tilted his head and pulled his bag strap further over his shoulder. "What's that?"</p>
<p>"There’s only the one bed," he announced as he pushed open the door.<br/>
 <br/>
The bed's headboard was pushed against the garish, pink wallpaper and was sporting similarly unpleasant bedsheets. Unfortunately, they were more practical than they were fashionable - after all, there were more pressing issues than home decor. The sheets had been pulled taut like those on a hospital bed, giving the room a more clinical look despite the quaint array of personal knick-knacks. A pair of spare boots tucked under the bed frame, a brown dressing gown hanging on the back of the door, a book with a creased cover and dog-eared pages on the bedside table.</p>
<p>Havers carefully put his bag down, running his fingers over the footboard. "I'm sure we can make it work," he said. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor. The coats are more comfortable than they look."</p>
<p>The Captain's eyebrows practically buried themselves in his hairline. "Don't be ridiculous - it's far too cold for you to do that. No, no," he said, holding his hands behind his back and bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You are to sleep in the bed. I cannot have you getting sick on my watch, Lieutenant."</p>
<p>"What about you? It would be far worse for the faction if our Captain became unwell." He sat at the edge of the bed, running his hands over it as if he were measuring it up for size. "I suppose the only option left is to share the bed."</p>
<p>"I suppose it is," he said, pulling at his collar and smoothing his tie. "I'm sure we'll make it work...and at least the extra body heat will ensure neither of us succumbs to a malady."</p>
<p>The night came quickly, and The Captain was strict when it came to bedtime—lights out at ten and absolutely no noise out of respect for everyone else. There is a time for work, a time for recreation, and a time for sleep.</p>
<p>Havers and The Captain lay on the outer-most edges of the bed as they rest their heads on the pillow. They said a stilted goodnight, nodding stiffly at one another and smiling from the corners of their mouths. But neither slept. Not for a while anyway.</p>
<p>Just knowing the other was so close sent an electric shock through their limbs—the unmistakable elephant in the room.</p>
<p>The Captain must have fallen asleep sometime before two because it was at that time that a weight roused him from his dreams. An owl hooted somewhere beyond the window, and something was sitting on his chest. When his eyes flickered open and adjusted to the dark, he saw it was Havers' hand pressing against his sternum.</p>
<p>He froze in the bed and barely allowed himself to breathe as he watched the slight quiver of Havers' bottom lip. Even in the dark, he could tell that Havers' cheeks were as charmingly ruddy as always. The Captain had never been so close to him, and now he was, his eyes were attuned to the fine lines of his features and the silver scar on his chin. All of it illuminated by the ethereal glow of the moon coming through the curtains they had forgotten to close.</p>
<p>He looked peaceful. So beautiful.</p>
<p>Tentatively, The Captain rolled towards him, feigning sleep in case Havers woke too. He was so close now that their noses were a hair's breadth away from touching, and their legs were already becoming tangled with one another's and the bedsheets. Havers' skin was softer than he expected, and he had the faint scent of musk, toothpaste, and night air.</p>
<p>When Havers didn't move, he closed his eyes and waited for himself to drift off again, unaware that Havers was awake too and smiling as he touched his forehead to The Captain's.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi there! This drabble was written as a request on Tumblr. You can find me and this work under user @annaobyrne.<br/>If you want to request an AU drabble/one-shot, please leave me a message and I'll get back to you, though it may take a few days.</p>
<p>You can also find me on Twitter: @bethany1marie.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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